Early Signs of Awareness
For decades, the prevailing belief among many physicians, philosophers, and neuroscientists was that newborn babies lacked the capacity to feel pain, and were not considered fully human. This view began to shift after a 1987 study in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated significant stress responses in infants undergoing surgery without anesthesia—a common practice at the time.
Beyond Pain: Complex Emotions
Now, researchers are investigating whether babies possess consciousness and can experience complex emotions like pride, shame, and guilt – feelings previously thought to emerge years later. A review published in Philosophical Transactions B by Milica Nikolic and Robert Hepach suggests evidence of these “self-conscious” emotions manifesting through subtle micro-movements in infants from birth to two years old.
Self-Conscious Emotions & Communication
These self-conscious emotions, defined as relating to the self and awareness of being observed by others, may serve crucial communication and motivational functions for babies. Researchers are exploring how these findings align with theories of constructed emotion, while also considering the potential role of culture in emotional development.
Shifting Perspectives on Infant Development
The growing body of evidence indicates that infants develop many powers of adult minds earlier than previously understood. This challenges long-held assumptions about the timeline of cognitive and emotional development, prompting a reevaluation of how we understand infant consciousness and experience.
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